Posters

Development of a Test Battery for Epigenetic Non-genotoxic CarcinogensHaroon Rashid

The main objective of this sudy is to obtain an increased insight into the mechanisms of action of epigenetic carcinogens. Although the expected number of non-genotoxic carcinogens among newly registered compounds is unknown, there is a growing concern that when numbers of 2-year cancer bioassays are significantly reduced, non-genotoxic carcinogens may go undetected. Therefore there is a need for the development of alternative methods for their detection.

Multiplex PCR is an advantageous technique used in PCR applications to amplify multiple targets in a single reaction. As useful as it is, this technique presents a new set of challenges that further complicates PCR setup. For example, reactions are more prone to off-target amplifications such as mis-priming and primer dimer due to the increased number of primer pairs.

PCR is a widely used scientific tool whose specificity can be increased by the use of Hot Start technologies. Although many Hot Start technologies exist, recently developed CleanAmp™ dNTPs are a distinct approach that employs modified nucleoside triphosphates with a thermolabile protecting group at the 3´-hydroxyl.

ROLE OF IRF-8 IN THE INTERFACE OF MELANOMA TUMOR CELL-IMMUNE SYSTEM INTERACTION.Fabrizio Mattei, Giovanna Schiavoni, Massimo Spada, Francesca Spadaro and Lucia Gabriele

Interferon-regulatory factor-8 is essential for differentiation and function of dendritic cells and thus for the induction of competent immune responses. Here, we investigated the role of IRF-8 in affecting immune response against melanoma. Our results reveal a critical role of IRF-8 in controlling melanoma growth and suggest that IRF-8-mediated antitumor activity is the result of a coordinated action between DC-mediated immune response and the tumor suppressor function of IRF-8.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the CNS. No successful treatment for MS, but one therapeutic strategy in research is the use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). We studied a group of MS patients who underwented MSCs, assayed for expression of a transcription factor, FOXP3, as a specific marker of MS amelioration in peripheral blood. qRT-PCR on PBMCs showed higher FoxP3 levels.

miRNA deregulation is an important hallmark on cancer development and progression. This work shows that miR-21 is overexpressed is human glioblastoma samples and cell lines, whereas miR-128a is highly downregulated on these tumours. miRNA modulation using antisense oligonucleotides and/or miRNA precursor molecules decreased tumor cell viability. Thus, targeting deregulated miRNAs may constitute a complementary/alternative approach on the treatment of glioblastomas and other miRNA-related maligna

The present study is to elucidate the signaling network involved in nitrate uptake and assimilation of Arthrospira platensis. Expression of adenylate cyclase, cyaC was found to be nitrate signal dependent. The involvement cAMP was also observed in different levels of nitrate signaled assimilatory pathway. We have used differential display to identify a histidine kinases in the nitrate signaling of Arthrospira platensis.

Multiplex PCR is an advantageous technique used in PCR applications to amplify multiple targets in a single reaction. As useful as it is, this technique presents a new set of challenges that further complicates PCR setup. For example, reactions are more prone to off-target amplifications such as mis-priming and primer dimer due to the increased number of primer pairs. Furthermore, preferential amplification of certain targets leads to an unequal distribution of amplicon products, making quantifi